


The beauty in a little relaxation

by Galrafloofandlove



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Post-Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 07:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18116123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galrafloofandlove/pseuds/Galrafloofandlove
Summary: Keith is upset.James isn't an idiot, and he isn't easily swayed by his boyfriend's lies of being “just fine” either.It's quite easy to tell, really. From the way he storms out of meetings the second they're dismissed, or the way he bumps into innocent cadets without even muttering a “sorry”.James is too busy to do much about it- he wants to help his boyfriend, sure, but he's still an MFE. Iverson always wants them to train, Sam insists on teaching safety measures over and over again, and Veronica is scolding them for slacking off at least a little bit.They're both stressed, in truth.It isn't until James finds Keith on his datapad, looking over mission briefings at two am that he decides he has to take a stand.





	The beauty in a little relaxation

**Author's Note:**

> Jaith exchange gift for Sweetpoetrymeme on Tumblr!

Keith is upset. 

James isn't an idiot, and he isn't easily swayed by his boyfriend's lies of being “just fine” either.  
It's quite easy to tell, really. From the way he storms out of meetings the second they're dismissed, or the way he bumps into innocent cadets without even muttering a “sorry”. 

James is too busy to do much about it- he wants to help his boyfriend, sure, but he's still an MFE. Iverson always wants them to train, Sam insists on teaching safety measures over and over again, and Veronica is scolding them for slacking off at least a little bit. 

They're both stressed, in truth. 

It isn't until James finds Keith on his datapad, looking over mission briefings at two am that he decides he has to take a stand. 

Keith's putting work in front of his own health. 

There's no way James is letting that continue. 

 

~~~~~~

 

James was eager to leave the Atlas and get to the space mall- so eager, in fact, he had the path redirected for a quick stop. Thankfully he wasn’t the only one who wanted a little break and needed to grab a few things, so he wouldn’t stand out. It was better if Keith wasn’t suspicious, James wanted this to be a special surprise. He wanted his boyfriend to return back to the apartment after a long day and be able to be pleasantly surprised at the scene in front of him. 

His first stop: the candle store. 

James wasn’t a fan of the candle stores back on Earth. It was too many scents invading him at once, drowning him in candles called ‘ocean breeze’ that really smelled like burnt wood, or the infamous ‘summer’s day’ that reminded James of his primary school days being pushed into fresh mud. 

Candle stores in space weren’t any better.  
At least James couldn’t determine if the scent was incorrect or not- how was he to know if yelmor breath actually gave off that terrible of an aroma?

In the end, after a massive headache and a huge toll on his nose, he ended up buying four large candles of something called ‘yunaberry fields’ that was extremely close to the delightful smell of a fresh strawberry. James thought it was the best pick- it was the closest to an Earth scent they had, plus it was the only candle James could whiff without feeling his stomach churn. 

After forcing himself to sneeze a few times to cleanse his palette, James entered a toy store, and immediately regretted it.  
All different kinds of child screams filled his ears as he walked the aisles, seeing a baby the size of his palm and a toddler nearly his height.  
He knew space was weird before, but this was overkill. 

James strolled the aisles as quietly as possible, sneaking around all the babies cooing and the children crying for their parents, until he came across an aisle with giant stuffed animals lining the shelves like christmas lights.  
The creatures were odd- a purple elephant, which wouldn’t be weird by itself, but there was some sort of rat-bunny hybrid on top riding it, the scene clearly depicted on the toy like it was the most normal occurrence ever.  
He scanned the shelves quickly, looking for anything even remotely familiar.  
Out of the corner of his vision, he caught a brown shell with little bumps in the fabric, almost like a hermit crab. After looking it over a few more times, it seemed suitable enough, although its eyes were a little creepy. It was big enough that a human child could probably use it as a pillow.  
The tag read ‘Mini Yelmor plush’. 

The word mini threw James off, but seeing all the children and toddlers in the store that were approaching James’ own height, he brushed it off as best he could. 

At the checkout, he found a little box with strange symbols written in colorful bold letters, displaying little wooden sticks surrounding a tiny bowl of a orange mixture that looked oddly like cotton candy.  
James grabbed two boxes and had them scanned by the three-armed alien at the checkout counter. 

Finally, stopping a herbal grocer, James grabbed a few packets of powder that mixed into warm water, making Keith’s favorite hot chocolate blend. James personally didn’t see the appeal. It tasted like burnt mint leaves and insanely hot spices Rizari used to dump on every meal she made. Somehow, Keith loved it.  
Maybe it’s a Galra thing. All he knew was it made Keith happy, and that was good enough for James.  
The grocer thanked him with a warm smile and a wave with each of his eight limbs. 

James boarded the Atlas again later that quintant, hands full of bags. He ran to his and Keith’s apartment, wanting to hide everything away until he could get Keith alone with him for the night.

 

~~~~~~

 

Only a few quintants later, he got Shiro to cover for Keith at a blade meeting. 

This is going to be perfect, James thought to himself as he dimmed the lights of their apartment down. He carefully lit the candles and watched the flame sway in the wind. He waited until his hand was steady before he clicked the lighter on- an emergency trip to the medical wing due to second degree burns would completely ruin the night.  
The candy mix only required the powder packets inside of the box be ripped open and the contents be poured into a double-boiler for a few doboshes. The sticks in the box were short and flimsy, but from what little knowledge of the Galran language James knew, he figured out the sticks were supposed to act as spoons of sorts.  
It was space food, so James wasn't expecting much anyway.  
James laid a few fuzzy blankets on the couch, setting the plush near the corner. Keith always needed something to cuddle with at night, and commonly James found him with a pillow wrapped snug in his tight hold.  
He laid Keith's favorite PJs, which were comfy white sweatpants covered in a pattern of cartoon cupcakes and a thin long-sleeved shirt with swirly writing reading 'cupcake lover’ printed on the front of the shirt.  
They were chesey, but James would be lying if he said they weren't his favorite thing ever. 

He heated up a mug full of water, pouring the forest green hot chocolate powder into the streaming liquid once it was out.  
He made himself a cup of his favorite herbal tea, and placed both mugs on the coffee table next to the candy mixture. 

Their apartment's aroma was a wonderful mix of fresh berries with a little bit of herbs.  
James changed into his own PJs, and laid on the couch, flipping through channels on the large television next to their large bookcase. 

The lock on the door clicked open, a key turning in the slot. 

James switched over to a universal streaming service and went to the 'Earth’ section, choosing 'english only’ just before the door creaked open and a bright red uniform caught James’ eye. 

Keith's violet irises widened in shock, vibrating all the way across the apartment to where James’ was laid out with a warm and bright smile. 

“Welcome home, cupcake.” James said the endearing name with a knowing glance in Keith's direction. 

Keith flushed as red as the sleeves of his uniform. 

“I-uh…” Keith stumbled over his words, eyes darting everywhere, scanning everything James had put together for his boyfriend.  
“You...uh...did this?” Keith finally spit out, shutting the door quietly, like a baby was sleeping in the next room over.  
“Yeah. I wanted you to be able to relax.” James spoke with a sugar-sweet tone, luring Keith in to just let all his stress float away into the infinite void of space.  
“You...did all this?” Keith made an odd motion with his hands in James’ direction. “All this for...me?” He questioned, looking like he was seriously expecting James to inform him it was all a prank.  
“Of course.” James responded calmly, taking a sip of his tea. “I put your favorite PJs on the bed.”  
Keith's blush darkened. 

“That's why you called me…” He trailed off, clearly embarrassed.  
“Cupcake.” James finished for him.  
Keith cleared his throat loudly.  
“Yeah...uh...I…” Keith dropped his messages bag to the floor, walking slowly towards the bedroom door. 

“I love you.” Keith finished abruptly before rushing into the bedroom and shutting the door. 

“Love you too, cupcake.” James whispered under his breath, picking up one of the sticks from the candy and dripping it in. The mixture came out in little stringy strands, drooping down and around the flimsy wood. 

Keith came out dressed in the PJs not soon after, joining James on the couch and snuggling while James scrolled through movies. 

Keith took slow sips of his hot cocoa, and James swore he heard his boyfriend purr at least three or four times. 

They fell asleep on the couch that night, intertwined in each other's holds, their hearts beating softly to the same rhythm.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](https://galrafloofandlove.tumblr.com)! || [Twitter](https://twitter.com/GalraFloof)!


End file.
